Last week, my boyfriend was diagnosed with nodular melanoma, a form of malignant melanoma. The tumor has a diameter of 4mm but we do not yet know the thickness. The doctor said he was between a "level ii and level iii" and that he has a 70% cure rate if it was caught in the early stages. My boyfriend had a pet scan 2 days ago but the report has not yet been read. He is extremely anxious and depressed because of the waiting game. Please help me answer the following questions as his doctor seems to be little help.

First, what timeframe can define "early stages"? 3 months? 6 months? 1 year?

Second, how long does it typically take to spread to other organs?

Please, any information or positive answers would help us both tremendously and help him at least get some sleep until we have conclusive answers. Thank you